Modified Taycan breaks Nürburgring EV lap

Porsche just moved the Nürburgring EV benchmark again — but the interesting part is how it did it. The car was a Taycan Turbo GT with the Weissach Package, fitted with a new Manthey Kit, and it ran a 6:55.533 lap of the full Nordschleife on May 7. That made it the new record-holder in the electric executive-car category, with Porsche development driver Lars Kern at the wheel. ### What actually changed on the car? This was not a mystery “modified Taycan” from the aftermarket. It was a factory-backed Porsche setup using a Manthey performance kit that Porsche says will be offered from June as a retrofit for Taycan Turbo GTs with the Weissach Package. The package changes the wheel-and-tire setup, aerodynamics, chassis tuning, and software calibration for power delivery. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Who is Manthey, and why does that matter? Manthey is the Nürburgring-specialist outfit Porsche has long used for track-focused GT-car upgrades. The big deal here is that this is the first Manthey kit developed for an electric Porsche. So this wasn’t just more power and a bravado lap — it was Porsche applying its established track-package playbook to an EV platform for the first time. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### How fast is 6:55.533, really? Very fast — and not just by EV-sedan standards. Porsche says the Manthey-equipped car beat the previous record in its class by more than 9 seconds. It also cut roughly 12 seconds from the earlier Taycan Turbo GT lap Kern set in 2024, which is a huge gain on a circuit where shaving even 1 or 2 seconds is hard work. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Was this more power, or more grip? Mostly grip, stability, and repeatability. The kit adds a much more aggressive aero package and chassis setup, plus stickier track-focused rubber. Porsche says downforce climbs to 310 kg at 200 km/h, versus 95 kg for the standard car, and can reach about 740 kg at top speed. Basically, the car can brake later, stay calmer through fast corners, and put power down earlier on exit. (nuerburgring.de) ### Did the powertrain change too? A little — but this story is not mainly about raw output. Coverage around the launch notes software optimization and revised power delivery, while the underlying Taycan Turbo GT already has enormous peak output in attack mode. The lap gain seems to come from the whole package working together, not from a headline-grabbing horsepower jump alone. That’s the classic Nürburgring lesson — speed comes from the system. (electrek.co) ### Is this a production-car record or a tuner special? Production-based, not a one-off science project. Porsche and Nürburgring both frame it as a record for production electric vehicles in the executive-car class, and the Manthey Kit is intended for customer cars as a purchasable retrofit. That makes the run more meaningful than a stripped prototype lap, even if it’s still a very specific category. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Why does this matter beyond Porsche? Because it shows where fast EV development is going. The easy gains from just adding power are mostly gone at this level. Now the frontier is thermal control, aero efficiency, tire management, and software that meters out performance over a full lap. Porsche’s result is a reminder that EV performance is maturing into the same kind of systems-engineering game that has defined great track cars for decades. (newsroom.porsche.com) ### Bottom line This wasn’t an aftermarket tuner sneaking a modified sedan onto the Ring. It was Porsche turning its Nürburgring know-how into an EV retrofit package — and immediately using it to reclaim the class record. That makes the lap more than a marketing number. It’s a preview of how the next round of electric performance cars will get faster. (newsroom.porsche.com)